


Playing Card Games

by TheQueenOfSpades



Category: Original Work
Genre: Card Games, Emotional Infidelity, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 05:49:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17677610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenOfSpades/pseuds/TheQueenOfSpades
Summary: The queen of spades and the king of hearts discuss the possibility of leaving their spouses for each other but finally choose to stay with their partners.





	Playing Card Games

their cards are laid upon the table  
and he suggests they raise the stakes  
she holds the king of hearts  
while he has the queen of spades

the call[1] is a painful one to make  
for the game goes many ways  
it really all depends on  
what the two choose to play

in the friendly game of poker  
both their hands could be real winners  
quad[2], flush[3], suit[4] and pair[5]  
though full house[6] is a sad affair

in the allied game of bridge  
their hands could really make them rich  
in a float they could be buddies[7]  
though in contract they’d have two dummies[8]

in the amorous game of hearts  
they’d pass their cards right from the start  
for these two cards[9] would spell their doom  
unless they want to shoot the moon[10]

she questions his choice of play  
“hearts, all-in[11]” he says  
the king of hearts, though very smart  
can’t tell a queen from a tart[12]

searches her face for her approval  
but to his chagrin, sees withdrawal  
the queen of spades, though very brave  
can’t tell a king from a knave[13]

so no spades bled[14], no hearts were broken[15]  
and both of them could keep their tokens  
he lacked wisdom, she lacked dare  
thus swapped their games for solitaire

**Author's Note:**

> [1] call: to predict accurately in a bet.  
> [2] quad: four of a kind. when a player holds one random card and four cards of the same rank.  
> [3] flush: straight. when a player holds five cards in running order.  
> [4] suit: color. when a player holds five cards in the same suit.  
> [5] pair: when a player holds a pair of cards of the same rank.  
> [6] full house: when a player holds three cards of the same rank and a pair of the same rank.  
> [7] buddies: partners that cooperate in the game of bridge. in floating bridge, the partner’s identity is not undisclosed.  
> [8] dummies: in contract bridge, a dummy is a player that has no control over play. his partner decides his play.  
> [9] each heart incurs a penalty of one point; the queen of spades incurs a penalty of thirteen points.  
> [10] shoot the moon: a type of play where one player attempts to win queen of spades and all hearts in tricks. it entails an extremely high risk, but a successful attempt inflicts penalties of twenty-six points to all three opponents.  
> [11] all-in: to bet all chips and resources in one play  
> [12] tart: a woman considered sexually promiscuous  
> [13] knave: the “jack” in a deck of playing cards. also known to be an unprincipled, crafty fellow  
> [14] “bleeding the spades” is a strategy employed by players in “hearts” to “expose” the queen of spades  
> [15] “breaking hearts” or “bleeding hearts” is a move employed by players in “hearts” when one is “void” in the chosen suit, and plays “hearts” for the first time in the game.


End file.
